Sunday, May 11, 2008

Posting a cartoon every weekday leaves no room for me to simply share news, ideas, and other stuff with you, so here's a Dry Bones feature called: 'Sunday Mail: Letters from Dry Bones'.

Party TimeWe Israelis celebrated the 60th according to the Hebrew calendar (which fell this year on May 8) We partied, went to the beach, had barbecues, waved flags, went to parades, and sat in holiday traffic jams. But according to the civil calendar, Israel’s anniversary is celebrated on May 14. And so it is that a flood of international dignitaries, celebrities, and in general, important folk, are about to descend on the country to kick off the 60th celebration.

GuestsGeorge Bush will address the Knesset (our parliament). Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will attend the celebrations, along with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Also visiting will be the presidents of Ukraine, of Albania, of Latvia, of Poland, of Rwanda, of Georgia, of Croatia, of Slovenia, and of Burkina Faso, along with the prime ministers of. the Slovak Republic and of Hungary. The Chancellor of Germany visited in mid-March for an early 60th celebration and the French President is scheduled to visit in late June. Elie Wiesel, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Google founder Sergey Brin, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will also be coming to the party.

GiftsThe Dry Bones "Israel at 60" Commemorative Mugs make great gifts. And they're not on sale in any store. These souvenirs are a limited edition and will only be available until the end of 2008. After that, you'll have to go to eBay and pay some outrageously inflated collector's price. Right now you can snag one or more of these mugs at an embarrassingly low $19.95 each. They are large (a hefty, 15 oz.) ceramic mugs with big, comfortable easy-grip handles. They are dishwasher and microwave safe. If you don't get one now, you'll be kicking yourself next year. Click on the photo below for more info, to take a peek at the other side (which is even prettier), and perhaps to buy one.